Things to Do

5 Cool Summer Festivals for Hot Days in the Texas Hill Country

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Summer festivals mark the hottest time of the year with popular music, great food, and fun for everyone. The Texas Hill Country hosts multiple events during the summer months. These range from music festivals to art walks. If it’s summer fun that you’re looking for, you’ll find it at one of these Hill Country summer festivals. Check out these festivals for food, music and family fun this summer.

1. Blanco Lavender Fest

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Photo: Pixabay

Love lavender? Make the Blanco Lavender Fest a definite stop this summer. For 2017, the festival lasts from June 9 through June 11. You will experience lavender growing lectures, live music, and tasty food. To taste everything Texan, check out the wares at the Go Texan tent, where local wineries and breweries will have samples and items for purchase, and of course, lavender items of all types will be available in the market area in front of the Old Blanco County Courthouse.

2. Boerne Berges Fest

Summer Festivals Boerne Berges Fest

Photo: Facebook/Berges Fest

In the Texas Hill Country, German heritage gets celebrated all year long, not just for Oktoberfest. Boerne hosts the annual Berges Fest, which offers fun for everyone. With free parking and admission, you don’t want to miss this family friendly event. Dachshund races, German folk bands, a parade and a carnival await attendees. This festival has good, old-fashioned fun that the whole family can agree on, and it’s held this year over Father’s Day weekend, June 16 through 18.

3. Kingsland Aqua Boom

Summer Festivals Kingsland Aqua Boom Float

Photo: Facebook/Aqua Boom July 4th Kingsland

Looking for a family-friendly festival? Visit Kingsland for the Aqua Boom festival, June 30 through July 4, 2017. This event kicks off with a veterans’ dinner and steak cookoff, but the major events start on July 1. Children’s activities, live music, an arts and crafts show, a beauty pageant and more begin Saturday. The parts of the Aqua Boom festival that really draw crowds, though, are the events on the water. Few will want to miss the rubber duckie race, boat parade, or fireworks on the river at the end of the festival on July 4th.

4. New Braunfels Texas River Fest

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Photo: Facebook/Texas River Fest

Summer festivals often include music, but if you really love live concerts, attend a festival specifically for adults who love music. The Texas River Fest in New Braunfels will host ten acts along the Guadalupe River on July 9 and 10. When live music isn’t playing a DJ will keep the festival rocking, and with plenty of food trucks, beer, and margaritas, you’ll not go hungry during the party. Instead of being in a crowd in front of a stage, this event offers you the unique chance on July 9 to rent a tube and float along the Guadalupe River while you listen to DJs and live music. Leave the kids at home for this one because, with plenty of alcohol flowing, it’s not for those under 21.

5. Gillespie County Fair

Gillespie County Fair Entrance with Ferris Wheel

Photo: Facebook/GCFFA Fun

One of the biggest summer festivals in Fredericksburg is the Gillespie County Fair, held in 2017 from August 24 through August 27. This festival features everything you’d expect from a county fair: a beauty pageant, carnival rides, a parade, horse racing, fair food, homemaking and agricultural exhibits and livestock showings. If you crave old-fashioned fun, get to the Gillespie County Fair this summer. You and your family won’t regret the experience.